Historical Place

 Axum

Axum the site of Ethiopia’s most ancient city, today slum-bears on blissfully unaware of its glorious past. The small town’s 16^th century Cathedral of St Mary of Zion is built on the site of a much dating from the fourth century AD. Only a platform and the wide stone steps remain from the earlier structure. The cathedral is a repository of crowns belonging to some Ethiopian’s former emperors. According to legend, it also houses the original Ark of the Covenant- thus making St.Mary’s the holiest sanctuary in Ethiopia

The most striking relics of Axum, however, are its obelisks or stelae. They are made from single blocks of granite carved to represent multi story buildings. The tallest, now fallen, once stood more than 33 meters high and numbered 13 storeys. The highest obelisk still standing is 10 storeys and 23 meters tall. The carving is deep and precise, showing the beams for each floor and the windows.

Other local historical sites included the graves of king Kale and King Gabrmeskel , the bath of Queen of Sheba and the ruis of the vast Royal Place over which, un-fortunately, the road to Gondar now passes. The market place has a variety of interesting curios and ancient coins.

Bahar Dar

Bahar Dar, on the southern shore of lake Tana, is a center for boating excursions to the lake’s islands and tissisat Falls the most spectacular waterfall on the blue Nile river. The nearby monastery of Dek Stefanos contains a priceless collection of icons, manuscripts and the mummified remains of the three Ethiopian emperors: yikuno amlak (1268-1283), Zara Yaqob (1434-1468) and Fasiladas(1632-1665). There are monasteries on 20 other islands and peninsulas along Lake Tana. The nearest to Bahar Dar are kebran Gabriel, which is forbidden to women, and Ura Kidanemereth, which contains an impressive treasury of ancient illuminated Bibles in the Ge’ez scripts. The building is decorated with a number of external and internal frescoes of religious significance.

Bahar Dar is a commercial center of considerable importance. The large USSR-built Polytechnic Institute and the Pedagogic Academy sponsored by UNESCO are located here.

Gondar

Gondar was once the capital of Ethiopia, its prominence beginning with the regn of Emperore Fasiladas in 1632 and ending with fall of Tewodros in 1868. The city’s unique imperial precinct contains a dozen castles built by various emperors during this 236 years period. Although the earliest of these castle was built by Fasiladas following the expulsion of the Portuguese, at first sight the  architecture seems to reflect Moorish-Europian influences. Closer scrutiny, however reveals interesting architectural features following in the Axumite tradition and s strong affinity with contemporary styles of building in south Arabia. Ras Beit, a place built in the 18^th century as a private residence has been in continuous use since construction and now serve the local government offices. Ashort distance away is the Bath of fasiladas and the “House of Chickens”.

With easy reach of Gondar lies a monastery, the ruined place at Kusquam, and the church of Debre Berhan Sellassie with its unique murals. The town itself has a lively and interesting marketplace.

Harar

The ancient city of Harar remained a centre of religious fervor from the early days of the Islamic expansion until 1887, when the authority of the central government was restored by Emperor Menelik II. With its 99 mosques, Harar is considered to be Islam’s fourth most holy city.

Sir Richard Burton’s disguised visit to the city in 1855 nearly cost him his life. He found it more difficult to evade detection as a non-Muslim in Hara than he had during his journey to Mecca. The French poet Rimbaud also chose Harar as his city of exile from French intolerance.

The whole setting of medieval walls tightly embracing the ancient city, its rich and colourful marketplace, towering and majestic mountains, and refreshingly cool climate, infuses Harar with an air of excitement making it a memorable place to visit.

Lalibela

Lalibela, a medieval settlement in the region of welo, is the site of elven rock-hewn churches believed to have been built in the late 12^th or early 13^th century by King Lalibela. These remarkable edifices, which were carved inside and outside of solid rock, are often  ranked among the wonders of the world. Each building is architecturally unique, all are finely carved, and several are decorated with beautiful paintings that remain well preserved.

During the season of “big rains” from June to September, this important site is inaccessible. Even during the dry months, reaching Lalibela is no easy task. The best way to arrive is by air, followed by a 45 minute drive or three hour mule ride across the eight kilometers separating Lalibela from the airstrip. A visit to this ancient setting is particularly worthwhile during the colorful Ethiopia festivals.